Page 60

He roared my name, sitting on his throne like the lord he was to his people and the king he was to me. My name reverberated throughout the chamber as if it would echo through eternity, letting every subject know I was his queen, his goddess. His.

Our breaths tangled, and our foreheads touched as we came down from our shared high. I grabbed his bearded face as he held me in place, his cock still inside of me, pulsing.

His chest heaved, and his eyes narrowed. “What did you mean by ‘no matter what happens’?”

“The future isn’t certain,” I said, kissing his lips. “All we ever have is here and now.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you. And when this is all over, I will properly wed you and make you my wife.”

I could feel myself drifting. “I love you so much.”

“I know,” he said, his words echoing around me as we slipped through each other’s fingers and disappeared in a plume of sparkling mist.

I woke at dawn, my thighs coated in slick.

I raised my left hand, and around my finger, like a promise of eternity, sat an ivy ring.

I didn’t know how I could feel such joy and sorrow simultaneously. The dichotomy threatened to rip me apart. All I could do now was focus on the impending battle.

I crawled out of bed, my movements deliberate and concise as I dressed in black and dark plum fighting gear.

The protective leggings and vest hugged my body and were reinforced with thicker panels of material.

I strapped Mithrion to my thigh and adjusted my forearm guards.

Every part of me was buckled in and secure in the lightweight gear, ideal for swift and untouchable movements.

I didn’t have time to comb my hair, so I quickly twisted and pinned my wild waves away from my face.

Dressed as a soldier from head to toe, I steeled my spine and took a deep breath. I shut off all my emotions as I walked out into the crisp morning air.

My feet carried me to the Vale, where Nepta, Dyani, and Maddock were gathered and dressed in similar war attire. Star-blades gleamed at everyone’s side, their hands resting on the weapons forged for this very battle.

I made eye contact with Maddock. His severe stare held mine as if he contemplated revealing my plan. Eventually, he dipped his chin without a word. It was a simple gesture, one that told me my secret was safe with him.

My gaze darted to Dyani. She’d pulled her hair back into her signature ponytail and donned her silver armbands. At first, it was hard seeing her wear the cuffs. They were identical to her brother’s, but now, I couldn’t imagine her without them.

“Alvar and Takoda have already been sent through,” Nepta said, breaking the deafening silence.

“Driskell remains here with a small battalion in case . . . in case the worst should happen.” She paused, needing a moment before she continued.

“I will take us to the war camp at the edge of the Lirien Valley. It is five hundred paces from Indrasyl and protected by the raised ridges. There, we will make our final preparations before we march.”

The air was heavy and crackled with nerves, but we all nodded, accepting our fates as Nepta summoned her small portal. And in a determined line, we stepped through the shimmering blue light.

One second, I was in the Sacred Vale surrounded by waterfalls and the shattered Alcreon Stone; the next, I stood between rows of lightweight canvas tents.

The war camp was a whirlwind of running soldiers, shouting generals, and clanking weapons. I padded along the muddy ground as warriors inspected their armor, and archers fletched their arrows. Those who weren’t trained fighters were gathering water and setting up supply lines.

I noticed Takoda from across the way, preparing a shelter for wounded warriors. Medical plants and rags lined the tent, and his tall, lean frame ground up fresh noxlilies.

Wyn warriors were at transport carts filled with the newly forged weapons. They helped hand them out to soldiers I’d never seen, wearing thick, metal armor.

“Keira!” My name shattered through the wartime cacophony, and I turned to see my soul flame exiting a tent with a man I didn’t recognize.

I had just been with Rowen on the astral plane but seeing him in the flesh still sent a shockwave through my system. He looked like a lord dressed in silver-black armor—Viltarran armor.

He closed the distance between us and gathered me into a fierce embrace.

He released me, and my eyes swept over his commanding form.

He wore a breastplate and gorget, with gauntlets on his arms and greaves on his legs.

A glowing Ever-burn sword and a few star-blade axes were strapped to his side.

I counted at least ten weapons on his body, and that was just what I could see.

He was power incarnate, and a flush hit my skin as I recalled how he’d handled my body in the throne room.

I glanced at his hand, and sure enough, a matching ring of ivy was wrapped around his finger. Our eyes locked and simmered with an unspoken understanding of our shared dream .

“You found help,” I said, dipping my chin to the man approaching his flank. He was shorter than Rowen, but even through his armor, I could tell he was broad and muscular. He had wavy, reddish-brown hair, a strong jaw, and a wide smile.

Rowen snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

“This is Callum,” Rowen said, addressing the smiling man beside him. “He was one of my best men in Viltarran.”

I nodded in greeting but kept my guard up, wondering if he was one of the soldiers who’d followed Aliphoura without question. Had he been one of the guards transporting me to and from my cell in the Crystal Crypts? Had he stood by while I was nearly beaten to death?

Rowen sensed my tension and said, “He escaped Aliphoura’s imprisonment. He has been a ranger for the last few years.”

Callum turned his dazzling stare to me. “When I heard Rowen had been murdered, I fled. I knew that bitch was up to no good. For a while, I couldn’t believe Rowen was gone.

I went searching for him, but he was too well hidden, and I assumed he was truly dead.

Imagine when I found him wandering the ruins of Viltarran looking like a ghost. Nearly shit my pants. ”

Rowen chuckled and patted him on the back.

“Callum has been locating survivors from the Crypts. A small settlement is forming there, going through the wreckage and building temporary homes.” His tone turned more serious.

“But, Keira, you should know that most of the warriors I recruited fought for Aliphoura.”

My jaw locked. I hadn’t had time to consider how their help would make me feel. Grateful? Apprehensive? Worried? “They have sworn their allegiance to us?” I asked, knowing we weren’t in a position to be picky.

Rowen nodded. “They fight for you now.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and met Callum’s piercing blue eyes. “Thank you for helping us. I wish we could have met under different circumstances.”

“I feel like I already know you. What you did in the Crypts has been told around campfires,” he admitted, flashing his straight teeth.

“And Rowen? He hasn’t been able to shut up about you.

Your name and Light encouraged us as we pieced Viltarran back together.

Without you, my people, our people, would have never escaped. ”

I never knew my blast of Light in the Crypts was such a guiding force. I’d been afraid for so long that they would all hate me for almost killing them in a cave-in. The thought choked me up. “How many warriors were you able to find?”

“Five hundred willing men and women,” Rowen replied, his gaze flashing to mine. His commanding stance didn’t falter, but the look in his eyes told me it was fewer than he’d hoped.

“I know it doesn’t seem like much, especially with what we are up against, but these warriors are some of the bravest souls I know,” Callum said, his hand resting on the hilt of an Ever-burn blade. “And loyal to a fault. Even though some fear they will be imprisoned for their time with Aliphoura.”

“We will grant them amnesty,” I said, feeling in my bones it was the right thing to do. “Everyone deserves a fresh start, especially if we survive this war.”

Rowen beamed at me as Callum elbowed him. “You got a good one, brother. Not bad on the eyes, either.”

“Thank you again for your allegiance,” I replied with a small smile. “If you’ll excuse us now.”

“Of course.” Callum bowed, then swiftly turned on his heel.

Rowen gathered me in his arms as the war camp bustled around us. “Are you ready?” he asked, his hands trailing up and down my back.

I threaded my fingers behind his neck and met his gaze. “I’m ready to kick some demon ass. ”

He smirked, his eyes sweeping over my body in admiration.

“Spirits, you are so fucking strong and beautiful,” he whispered, then palmed the back of my skull and pulled me in against his armor.

He claimed my mouth, my body, my soul, right in the middle of the war camp.

He kissed me with abandon, unashamed to express his love for me in front of his army.

The flame in my chest erupted and filled my veins with fire.

He breathed me in like he was drowning, and my kiss was the only thing pumping air into his lungs, keeping him alive. It was just a moment, a stolen fragment of time, one that we might never get again.

He groaned into my mouth and then pulled away as if it were the hardest thing he’d ever done.

He raised his chin. “It’s time,” he commanded like the true and rightful leader he was. “Fall in line!”

I stood before the army with Rowen and Alvar. Our small but mighty forces were aligned in perfect formation.

The front lines were formed by soldiers skilled with spears and shields, and in my opinion, the bravest of us all.

Behind them were archers, their bows and Ever-burn arrows strapped to their backs.

Farther back were those tasked with pushing the weapon carts filled with bundled arrows and spare blades.

We had flanking formations on either side, utilizing the warriors who excelled at hand-to-hand combat.

“Remember,” Alvar shouted, his face, clothes, and shield covered in past battle scars. “We draw the army out. Under no circumstances do we engage first. Then, once we lure the enemy away, we wedge a path to get Keira to the tree.”

The Wyn and Viltarran soldiers nodded, conveying they understood the mission. Everyone knew what they were marching towards, yet here they stood, ready and willing to fight for Luneth.

“The odds are against us,” Alvar continued, voicing our concerns, and the gathered warriors slouched imperceptibly at his words.

I stepped in front of the war captain. “But this battle isn’t about numbers,” I cut in, speaking to every soldier.

“One of you is worth ten Voro-Kai. They are driven by a single thought: destruction. But we? We fight for something much greater.” I let everyone see the Light in my eyes and the glow emanating from my palms. Gasps rippled among them, and the atmosphere shifted.

“We fight for everyone we love, for the forest, the future, and the spirits. We have more to lose but so much more to fight for.”

“We fight for the Light of Luneth!” Rowen roared beside me, pounding his fist on his breastplate while the other lifted his star blade in the air.

“We fight for the Light of Luneth!” the army chanted back, raising their glowing weapons like a sea of rebellious stars.

Our unified voices sounded so much more than twenty-two hundred strong. We sounded like an army determined to defeat the ender of worlds.